1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for feeding chip components and a cartridge type component container, and in particular to an apparatus for feeding chip components which feeds the chip components contained in a component container in bulk while aligning such components in a line. The apparatus and the cartridge type component container may be applied to an automatic mounting device for mounting chip electronic components.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various kinds of chip components are mounted on a print circuit board. An automatic mounting device transfers such chip components to the print circuit board and then mounts the chip components on the board. A chip component feeder has been used to feed the chip components to the automatic mounting device. Various kinds of the chip component feeders such as a vibration type, a rotating type, an oscillation type and a belt type are known.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-280129 (the first prior art) discloses a chip component alignment and separation apparatus. The apparatus is provided with a chip component reservoir containing many ship components in bulk. The chip component reservoir includes a declined surface in its inside so that the chip components can move down by their own weight. The lowest end of the chip component reservoir is connected with a chip alignment opening, and an air nozzle opening is disposed near the chip alignment opening for ejecting high pressure air. The chip components at the lowest portion of the reservoir are blown upwardly by the high pressure air from the air nozzle opening, and then the chip components fall down by their weight and advance into the chip alignment opening. The cross section of the chip alignment opening is formed so as to have the same shape as that of the cross section of the chip component. Therefore, the chip components can align themselves in the chip alignment opening, and then the chip components are individually picked up by a pick up machine.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-48596 (the a second prior art) discloses a container for containing electronic components. The container is provided with a body portion including a spiral path for containing the chip components therein. The chip components are contained in the spiral path in advance, and then the container is supplied.
In the apparatus shown in the first prior art, whether or not the chip components can advance with sureness into the chip alignment opening depends mostly on the attitudes of the chip components while the components are falling down in the component reservoir. Therefore, the chip components can not advance into the chip alignment opening with certain possibility. As a result, in the conventional apparatus, it is difficult for the chip components to advance with sureness into the chip alignment path. Further, when it is necessary to determine the front and rear surfaces of the chip components, such determination is carried out after the chip components have advanced into the chip alignment opening and then the attitudes of the chip components are changed. As a result, according to the apparatus in the first prior art, the feeding speed is relatively low, the mechanical structure is complex, and therefore the cost is high.
In the container shown in the second prior art, the chip components can be contained in the container with the front and rear surfaces being determined in advance. However, the width of the spiral path must be shaped so as to correspond to the widths of the various kinds of the chip components, and therefore many kinds of such containers have to be prepared. Further, the container can not contain many chip components in the spiral path thereof. As a result, the conventional container is high in cost and can not feed many chip components.